Victorian government's work from home legislation gains momentum with more than 36,000 survey responses supporting flexible work rights
Victoria’s work from home laws are looking increasingly likely after the state’s biggest-ever government survey backed the policy.
More than 36,000 Victorians weighed in on the government’s plan to legislate the right to work from home two days a week, with the numbers painting a clear picture: people want this protected. Premier Jacinta Allan and Acting Minister for Industrial Relations Harriet Shing dropped the results today, revealing some pretty compelling stats about why flexible work matters.
Work from home legislation survey details
- What: Victorian government consultation on work from home legislation
- Responses: 36,770 total
- First-day response: 5,000 submissions
- Business forums: 122 registrations for online industry consultations
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Survey results show 74 per cent of employees reckon the right to work from home is extremely important to them. That’s more than 25,000 people who aren’t messing around when it comes to working remotely. Another standout finding: over 3,200 respondents don’t feel comfortable even asking their current employer about working from home, while most who did ask got knocked back.
Nearly all those who were refused thought the rejection was unreasonable, and most said it created more workplace challenges. Meanwhile, the survey found most employees would be more likely to choose a job that offers work from home options and would stick around longer if they could work remotely.
Time savings topped the list of benefits, with more than 13,300 people saying their one-way commute takes over an hour. Money came in second, with over 9,200 respondents spending between $25 and $49 weekly just getting to work. Being able to focus without office distractions ranked third. More than 28,700 participants said they’re actually more productive working from home, clocking more hours and hitting more milestones.
Two days a week emerged as the most common arrangement, with 10,207 respondents already doing exactly that. Employers who responded mostly had fewer than 20 staff members and ranked employee satisfaction as the top benefit of remote work policies, followed by access to more talent and higher productivity.
Further consultation with businesses and industry groups is happening now, with a full report dropping once all the free-text responses get analysed. The proposed laws would protect workers’ ability to work from home two days a week if they can reasonably do their job remotely, covering both public and private sectors.
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